Breaking the class ceiling: How can we promote diversity in - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Breaking the class ceiling: How can we promote diversity in selection? Professor Fiona Patterson Special Interest Group for the Public Sector – Lisbon 26th September 2016

Overview • The case for ‘breaking the class ceiling’? • Case Study 1: Widening access in selection in medical & dental schools admissions using UKCAT • Case Study 2: Promoting diversity in selection in the banking sector • Implications for future research, theory & practice

The case for breaking the class ceiling? • Boosting social mobility is an objective of many governments & it is now a priority for employers (Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission, 2015) • Important for economic prosperity as well as on grounds of fairness • A diverse workforce means employers draw on a wide range of talent that strengthens business & the economy as a whole • UK Cabinet Office Panel for Fair Access to the Professions (known as the ‘ Milburn Review ’: Cabinet Office, 2009 ) • Criticism of the ‘elite’ professions , e.g. Medicine, Finance, Law, Accountancy

The case for diversity & inclusion? • Diversity confers a competitive advantage – Increased potential for innovation & improved decision making – Search for top talent draws from the widest possible pool – Customer service: reflecting the communities served • Diversity as an ‘ organisational health ’ indicator • Fairness, social justice & corporate social responsibility • Often embedded within the organisation’s values

UK Context Laurison & Friedman, 2015 • Enduring disparity in income levels across the socio-economic classes – ‘top jobs’ disproportionately represented by those from fee-paying schools • Those whose parents work in routine/semi-routine jobs (approx. 33% of the total population) only make up 17% of those in professional occupations • Young people from less advantaged backgrounds are much less likely to go to the ‘best’ universities (Harris, 2010) • Some key factors include: – differential access to information, teaching & related resources – ‘feeling out of place’ at elite institutions (Reay, Clozier & Clayton, 2009)

Note: n=5,349. Height of bars is ratio of the Less than 7% of doctors, percentage of barristers, judges, vets & people whose parents dentists are from routine/semi- occupations are categorized as routine ‘working class’ origins NS-SEC 1 in each occupational group to the percentage of people in the population with parents in NS- SEC 1 occupations; values over 1 indicate over- representation.

How can we best design selection methods & systems to promote diversity in SES? • Research tends to focus on outreach, attraction, candidate preparation, rather than selection methods (Ashley et al, 2016) • Challenges & issues in assessment – Defining SES – Differential academic attainment problem - lower SES is linked to lower academic achievement & slower rates of academic progress compared with higher SES communities (APA, 2016) – Cognitive ability differentials – Assessor (unconscious) bias – Use of contextual data?

Defining SES • How are data gathered? – Self report data – Research shows its more acceptable for early career but experienced hires do not expect to be asked about their SES • What data are gathered? – Commonly asked questions, all with their own challenges: • National Statistics Socioeconomic Classification (NS-SEC) - complex algorithm based on parental occupation • Post code area? • Parent/guardian has a degree? • Type of school attended • Free school meals?

High volume selection methods: A levels • ‘ Traditional’ high -volume selection methods, e.g. cognitive tests/A- levels, are increasingly incongruent with a social mobility agenda • Independent school pupils more than twice as likely as pupils in state schools to be accepted into one of the 30 most highly selective universities (Sutton Trust, 2016), introducing immediate bias in selection (Kirkup et al., 2008) • 30% of pupils from private schools gain 3 A’s, compared to 10.7% of pupils attending state schools (Paton, 2012) • Private school students do not outperform state school students for undergraduate degree class (Smith & Naylor, 2001) • Links between A level attainment & career success remain unclear (Kirkup et al., 2008)

Cognitive Ability Tests & SES • Clear links between cognitive ability & job performance but negative impact on SES

How relevant are these issues to your organisation? What the key drivers & barriers to promoting diversity?

Selection methods into the healthcare professions Research evidence & practice

Yale Medical School graduating class of 1924 Yale University, Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library

Medical Education, Jan 2016

Candidate Promotes Selection Method Reliability Validity acceptability widening access? Academic records Structured Interviews/MMIs Situational Judgement Tests Aptitude testing Personality Tests Traditional Interviews Personal statements References Patterson, et al, 2016. How effective are selection methods in medical education and training? A systematic review. Medical Education.

Candidate Promotes Selection Method Reliability Validity acceptability widening access? Academic records High High High Low Structured Moderate Moderate to High Moderate Interviews/MMIs to high high Situational High High Moderate to High Judgement Tests high Aptitude testing High Various Moderate Moderate Personality Tests High Moderate Low to N/A moderate Traditional Low Low High Low Interviews Personal statements Low Low High Low References Low Low High Low Patterson, et al, 2016. How effective are selection methods in medical education and training? A systematic review. Medical Education.

Academic Attainment • Most widely used selection method • Potential bias against ‘non - traditional’ candidates Strengths Limitations Good predictor of performance Less predictive of clinical practice in education Research is generally highly In the UK, A Levels are losing consistent discriminating power Generally administered by other Socio-economic class bias bodies, so low cost to educators Standardised and well- recognised assessments

Aptitude Tests • Mixed findings, depending on the specific aptitude test used (e.g. MCAT/ GAMSAT/ UKCAT/ BCAT/ UMAT/ HPAT) • The broad range of tests available makes commenting on generality of findings problematic • It is important to evaluate each aptitude test in their own right in order to draw conclusions regarding the quality of the tool Strengths Limitations Some evidence for reliability and Reliability and validity may be affected by validity (incremental, predictive, how they are used (i.e. weighting, cut criterion-related) score, etc) No evidence on cost-effectiveness at present Less equitable for non-traditional applicants (e.g. SES)

Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) • High quality research, including meta-analyses/systematic reviews Strengths Limitations An increasingly popular method of Method of construction & response assessment in healthcare instructions may affect validity Strong predictor of job Mode of administration may affect performance; also predicts candidate reactions (e.g. computer- performance above cognitive ability based vs. video-based) & personality tests Positive candidate reactions Some item types may be more susceptible to faking, practice & coaching effects than others Evidence that coaching does not Requires expertise to design significantly impact on validity effectively Reliable method of assessment with low adverse impact to minorities

What are Situational Judgement Tests? • Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) are a measurement method designed to assess judgement in role-relevant situations: – Present challenging situations likely to be encountered in the role – Candidates make judgements about possible responses – Scored against pre-determined key • SJTs focus on non-academic attributes (e.g. integrity, empathy, resilience, team involvement)

Example SJT item (for entry into postgraduate training) You are reviewing a routine drug chart for a patient with rheumatoid arthritis during an overnight shift. You notice that your consultant has inappropriately prescribed methotrexate 7.5mg daily instead of weekly. Rank in order the following actions in response to this situation (1=Most appropriate; 5=Least appropriate) A Ask the nurses if the consultant has made any other drug errors recently B Correct the prescription to 7.5mg weekly C Leave the prescription unchanged until the consultant ward round the following morning D Phone the consultant at home to ask about changing the prescription E Inform the patient of the error